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Tag: explosion

  • Fireworks Explosion Leaves 1 Dead And 3 Injured

    A fireworks explosion at the local high school in Comanche, Texas, a town with approximately 4,300 people about 100 miles southwest of Fort Worth, has left one dead and three seriously injured.

    Lt. Marcus Nettleton, a volunteer firefighter and the assigned public information officer for the incident, told the Los Angeles Times that the incident occurred at approximately 9:00 am on Thursday, July 3 and involved a trailer housing the fireworks for the July 4 show.

    This show would have made the 24th annual Fourth of July celebration at Comanche High School. Police are still not sure what exactly happened. Nettleton explained that the men who were setting up the display, the local members of the Kiwanis Club, were very experienced and knew what they were doing. “These were very experienced men in what they were doing,” Nettleton said of the workers.. “They knew what they were doing.”

    Authorities confirmed that Russell Reynolds, the local chiropractor and church deacon, was killed at the scene of the incident, and three others were taken to the local hospital with serious injuries.

    Christine Perkins, executive director of the Comanche Chamber of Commerce, explained that the show, which generally draws around 15,000 people, has been cancelled. “We’re still in shock,” Perkins said. “And definitely in a community our size, there will be some kind of ceremony to recognize the victims.”

    The Texas fire marshal’s office and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are continuing to investigate the tragic accident.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Florida Jail Explosion: 2 Dead, At Least 100 Injured

    A fatal explosion is currently being investigated by the Escambia County Fire Marshal and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    The incident reportedly took place at the Escambia County jail in Pensacola, Fla. at about 11:00 pm on Wednesday.

    The terrible blast apparently leveled the central booking facility at the location.

    After being described as simply an “explosion” early on with the cause of the blast being more or less ambiguous, it was later identified as “an apparent gas explosion” by county spokeswoman Kathleen Dough-Castro.

    Castro spoke to reporters about the ongoing situation, informing the press that the affected building “is still standing”. However it is “unstable and partially collapsed”, making it unsafe for personnel or inmates.

    The uncertain nature of facility was a major reason why law enforcement officials and emergency responders were working frantically to get people out of the building.

    “We have reports people heard an explosion and smelled gas,” said Castro. She added that despite the blast, “there was no fire” reported at the scene by officials.

    Two inmates are said to have been killed by the gas explosion.

    Castro believes that anywhere between 100 and 150 prisoners and guards were injured due to the blast.

    The injured prisoners have been accounted for and were all transported to hospitals in the surrounding area for treatment.

    No life-threatening injuries are believed to have occurred as spokespersons from various area hospitals say that inmates and personnel are being treated for “minor injuries”.

    The blast forced law enforcement officials to evacuate approximately 600 inmates from the facility.


    Castro also stated that in the aftermath of the explosion, the uninjured prisoners have been relocated to detention centers in other areas of Escambia County and neighboring Santa Rosa County.

    The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office jail is said to have received about 100 inmates. Office spokesman Rich Aloy said that this was a rough estimate and that the exact number of inmates transferred to the location is unknown.

    Despite the chaotic and frantic nature reported at the site of the blast, there have been no escapees reported.

    Image via YouTube

  • Wyoming Explosion Clears Out Town of 98

    Wyoming Explosion Clears Out Town of 98

    An explosion at a natural gas plant in Wyoming has prompted the evacuation of the town of Opal, population 98. Opal is situated roughly five miles from the Williams Gas Plant, which was shut down after an explosion occurred on-site at about 2 p.m. MDT Wednesday.

    Williams Gas Plant spokesperson Michele Swaner reported that there were no injuries in the incident, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation confirmed that no one was hurt. Swaner added that all 42 plant workers have been accounted for, and that arrangements are being made to assist evacuees affected by the explosion.

    Lincoln County public information officer Stephen Malik said, “Last information we have, there’s still no confirmed reports of any injuries, and we’ve evacuated the town of Opal as a precaution.”

    Swaner also stated that the exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation – “It’s a big gas processing plant, it’s huge, and we believe the fire and explosion occurred in our turboexpander … and we have five of them at that facility so the explosion and fire occurred in that area.”

    Opal is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States comprising 38 households and 28 families, as of 2010. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.39 square miles. Males in Opal have a median income of $50,750 versus $0 for females.

    How to pronounce “Opal, Wyoming” is explained by an android here:

    Opal evacuees are currently staying at area hotels including Little America and a Best Western.

    Image via Facebook

  • New York City Explosion: Two Confirmed Dead

    “It’s a very active scene. It’s a very chaotic scene,” said Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella as he attempted to describe the aftermath of an explosion that occurred in New York City this morning.

    The powerful explosion caused the collapse of a building located at East 114th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem.

    As of now there are two reported fatalities following the building collapse and at least sixteen injuries. The names of the deceased, both women, have not been released to the public.

    The collapse is thought to have occurred between 9:00 am and 9:30 am.

    Officials have yet to determine the exact cause of the explosion, however residents in the area say that there has been the faintest scent of gas lingering in the area for days. The electric company Con Ed reportedly was requested on rush for a gas leak.

    The New York Police Department said in a statement that it was investigating the nature of the explosion and collapse, which impacted two buildings, which PIX11 reportedly houses a Spanish Christian Church and a piano repair shop.

    One boy was rescued from the debris by eyewitnesses named Alex and David who were across the street from the smoldering rubble. One of the men told PIX11 the boy “had a controller for a PlayStation in his hand”. “He wasn’t moving,” said Alex, “but he had his eyes open.”

    They lamented that despite the fact that a major tragedy was happening in front of them, a number of people were standing around filming the event with their smartphones rather than trying to help.

    Despite the good intentions of these individuals, they were instructed by police and firefighters to stay back as the scene was still very dangerous.

    For now all Metro-North service out of Grand Central station has been suspended. Passengers off trains that were near the explosion were ordered off at the Fordham station in the Bronx.

    Image via Twitter

  • East Harlem Building Collapse: 2 Dead, Many Injured

    At 9:31 am EST, New York City firefighters responded to an explosion and building collapse at 1644-46 Park Avenue in East Harlem. Thus far, two people been reported dead, with at least 16 more suffering from injuries.

    Prior to the explosion, Con Edison, a New York City utility service, had received a call from a resident at 1652 Park Avenue complaining of a gas smell in her apartment. That call came 18 minutes before the two buildings collapsed.

    The five-story buildings held a church and a piano repair shop on the ground levels and hosted 12 total apartments.

    Jennifer Salas, a 20-year-old resident of the apartment, saw warning signs as early as yesterday: “Last night it smelled like gas but then the smell vanished and we all went to sleep. We tried to find the source of the gas but since the smell left, we all went to sleep.” Salas’s husband is currently still missing.

    As it currently stands, the 150+ firefighters who responded from 39 different units are still working to extinguish the flames and excavate the destruction to look for residents and patrons.

    Residents of East Harlem who witnessed the collapse were shocked at the impact of the explosion: “I saw a lady running with no shoes on. It was crazy. It was like a war zone. … I thought it was an earthquake. I got calls from my family who felt it too and that was all the way up town,” reported one witness.

    “It was loud, like boom, boom! It rocked the whole block. A window blew out of the other shop down the street. It looked like the towers all over again. People covered in dust and covering their mouths,” added Mitch Abreu, an employee at a nearby barbershop.

    The two buildings which collapsed have been plagued by many infrastructure issues over the years. Last summer, the building at 1644 Park Avenue was scheduled to have a 120 foot piece of gas pipe installed to a fifth floor stove. Officials at New York heating could not confirm if that work had been completed.

    The other building at 1646 Park Avenue was cited several years ago for having a vertical crack in the rear wall “which is hazardous to the safety of the structure.” The owner of the building at the time of the citation paid the $1,335 fine, but there are no records to indicate that the structure of the building was ever repaired.

    Image via Twitter

  • New Jersey Explosion Leaves One Dead, 55 Homes Damaged

    On Tuesday, an explosion in a New Jersey condominium development left one person dead and seven workers injured.

    According to local authorities, the blast occurred at the Ewing Township “after a gas line was damaged by contractors who were digging in the area.”

    A spokeswoman for the Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) utility company said that workers arrived at the scene around 11:45 a.m. to fix the issue. A few minutes later, utility workers were complaining about a stench in the air.

    Nearly an hour later the gas line exploded and damaged 55 nearby homes in the complex.

    Reports say that around 1 p.m. the explosion sent flames and fragments soaring into the sky. A fire also followed and soon local residents in the area were dialing 911.

    One witness by the name of Matt told a CBS Philadelphia reporter that he was blown off his feet nearly 50 feet away.(image)

    “I was getting off my couch … I got up, and there’s was just this very loud explosion,” he said, according to CBS News. “Right after that, my front door – glass door -got shattered. And I kinda flew back … from the explosion.”

    The man stated that he suffered a hand injury from the explosion.

    A local Trenton hospital was treating five patients with burn wounds, in which two also suffered from concussions. Two PSE&G employees were injured by the blast, but are said to be suffering from minor wounds.

    The victim’s body was found in the wreckage outside the home where the explosion occurred. Witnesses say that the house was completely immersed in flames.

    The person has yet to be identified by investigators.

    Ewing Police Lt. Ron Lunetta told the Los Angeles Times that the aftermath was quite “devastating” to see. He then added that at least the explosion occurred during the daytime when few people were in the area.

    The video below shows raw footage of the aftermath:

    Image via YouTube

  • Pipeline Explosion Has Residents Without Heat In Extreme Cold

    Residents in the Canadian province of Manitoba have been left without natural gas for heat, after a pipeline exploded on Saturday.

    The explosion sent a huge fireball into the night sky.

    The natural gas pipeline explosion cut heat to thousands of people who could be in for some extremely cold weather in the coming days. No injuries have yet been reported, but residents in some municipalities south of Winnipeg could be waiting quite a while for their services to be restored.

    Some residents are expecting some serious temperature drops, with wind-chills that could dip down to 45 degrees below zero, F.

    Although workers are in the process of getting emergency gas to the more critical locations the blizzard like storms and freezing temps could cause safety issues in delivering these emergency supplies.

    The cause of the explosion is unknown at this time but is being investigated, however it is believed that the extreme cold may have damaged the infrastructure.

    With the extreme weather the country has been facing, first with the Polar Vortex, followed by another major storm, coined “Bombogenesis” have been the major contributor to the fuel and gas prices soaring.

    The soaring costs of fuel are due to dwindling supplies as the extreme weather has swept through North America. In most cases, grid operators have been able to maintain stability throughout the extreme conditions.

    “We are in the midst of another temperature drop. A bit of an Arctic front is moving in here, and to the south of us, there is a blizzard system, so people in this area are going to get a nasty, cold, winter storm day,” CBC’s Katie Nicholson reported.

    Emergency Measures spokesperson Nicki Albus on Saturday spoke about the cold that is on its way.

    “We know it’s cold and people may be concerned about that but we are on the job here. Everyone here’s communicating well. We have a great group of people at the site and in the communities who have set up their emergency operation centres to handle this dilemma.”​

    The consequences of Saturday’s pipeline explosion have stretched as far down as Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin, causing the local utility companies to request that customers conserve gas over the weekend.

    Manitoba Hydro and TransCanada officials could not say when natural gas would be restored to the area.

    Hydro officials said customers in the area should prepare for an extended gas outage.

    Image via YouTube

  • Omaha Explosion Claims the Lives of Two Workers

    An explosion at an Omaha, Neb., factory left two dead and ten hospitalized on Monday morning.

    Thirty-eight staff members were working at the International Nutrition animal-feeding plant when a sudden explosion knocked out the lights in the building.

    Authorities are clueless to what may have caused the incident but reported that witnesses saw the back wall of the building collapse.

    Thirty-eight-year-old Kendrick Houston was working on the main floor when he noticed a tremble from beneath the building’s floor. He reported to the Omaha World-Herald  that the event happened so fast that he and another co-worker immediately reacted and ran for the exit.

    “There was this real loud crackling sound, and the lights went off. I saw a spark, and there was a big ball of flame coming from the southwest corner of the building,” he said.

    According to a Fox News report via the Associated Press, 21-year-old Nate Lewis was working on the first floor when he heard the explosion. He resorted to using his cell phone light to crawl outside to safety. Shaken up by the events, Lewis even made a statement that he believes he won’t be returning back to his job as a production line worker.(image)

    Omaha’s Fire Chief Bernie Kanger asserts that no hazardous chemicals played a part in the blast, but due to safety risks, the wreckage has yet to be removed.

    Kanger also insists that his team are taking their time to sift through the rubble left by the explosion.

    “We haven’t cleared the building yet because of the significant risk to our people,” Kanger told AP.

    Seven injured workers have refused medical treatment while nineteen others have yet to be accounted for.

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is still investigating the reason behind the explosion.

    Kanger confirms that the death toll may rise in numbers as the fire department and search-and-rescue experts continue their search through the debris.

    Image via Youtube

  • Supervolcano Study Yields Unnerving News

    What’s ashen, dark, and dead all over? Earth, potentially – if a supervolcano ever explodes!

    The truth is, if a supervolcano were to actually erupt, it could indeed be an extended winter for us – a volcanic winter, that is. Forget about frostbite and mittens; it might pretty much be curtains for civilization. That’s not really news, though. So, why all of the sudden brouhaha over the Yellowstone supervolcano?

    Well, a recent extraction of lava from there did actually reveal some rather daunting news about the nature and causes of volcanic eruptions. Up until recently, it had been a commonly held belief that volcanoes required some sort of external force in order to burst. In other words, most people thought it would take an earthquake or something similarly strong to rouse these lava laden leviathans.

    Not so, says science.

    The experiment performed on the lava in an x-ray laboratory reproduced conditions inside the magma chamber of a supervolcano.

    Geoscientists Wim Malfait and Carmen Sanchez-Valle, of ETH Zurich in Switzerland measured the density of molten rock similar to that found in many volcanoes. The ultimate results conveyed that supervolcano eruptions can spontaneously transpire –with or without an external force acting on it – if the magma pressure becomes great enough.

    “Until now, nobody had measured the density of the magma that is present in the magma chambers of super-volcanoes,” EZH’s Wim Malfait said in an AFP exchange.

    The magma study revealed the nature of these cataclysmic lava explosions as scientists analyzed how it behaves under variances of temperature and pressure. It was subsequently determined that the magma’s density decreased a significant amount under high pressure and density conditions like those it would experience underground. This density disparity means the supervolcano doesn’t need an earthquake or anything else to explode. With just the perfect set of conditions, it can independently produce enough strength to burst through the earth, shooting off molten ash and other fatal goodies as it goes.

    But there’s no need to fret. Sure, we might be about due for an eruption, according to how frequently they tend to happen. And, yes, the Yellowstone volcano is 2.5 times bigger than we thought. However, scientists have said for years now that there’s no reason to believe that any of them are in imminent danger of erupting. Also, while preventing a supervolcanic eruption simply isn’t possible, they are currently trying their hardest to generate underground monitoring methods of magma pressure. That way, they can at least inform us when it’s coming.

    The question is: Uh… what do you do with news like that?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Minneapolis Explosion Injures 14 And Destroys Apartment Building

    An explosion and fire in Minneapolis has injured 14 people and destroyed an apartment building and grocery store. The explosion happened around 8:00 in the morning, a time when many people were still sleeping.

    Witnesses reported seeing several people jumping or falling out of windows on the second floor of the building. Officials are still trying to determine if everyone made it out of the building safely and are not sure how many people were inside when the fire broke out.

    Firefighters and witnesses reported that the flames were rising high above the building.

    “Upon arrival, crews made entry into the first floor of this structure,” Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel said. “Conditions became untenable very quickly, with major fires coming out of the second and third floors. Crews had to back out and go into defensive position outside of the building, applying water.”

    Over 50 firefighters arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire. The cold temperatures caused the water from the hoses to freeze and many of the firefighters slipped and fell, but none of them were injured.

    Of the 14 people injured, six of them were reported to be in critical condition. The Salvation Army and the local Brian Coyle Center are working with victims and helping them get the food, shelter, and personal items that they need.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Minneapolis Explosion Erupts In Apartment Building

    There was a New Year’s tragedy today when an early morning explosion resulted in a fire inside a three-story building containing apartments and a grocery store. There have been at least 14 reported injuries with 6 being in critical condition from the fire located within Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. Some of the victims have been transported to Hennepin County Medical Center.

    According to Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel, “Not everybody has been accounted for in this building. It is possible that some are still inside.” Since authorities did not have an official count regarding the number of individuals who were actually inside the building when the fire erupted, there have been additional complications during the search and rescue process to ensure the safety of those involved.

    John Fruetel explained how rescue efforts were hindered by the intensity of the fire. “Upon arrival, crews made entry into the first floor of this structure. Conditions became untenable very quickly, with major fires coming out of the second and third floors. Crews had to back out and go into defensive position outside of the building, applying water.” Fruetel said.

    Present reports have not specified whether additional nearby businesses suffered from the explosion. Palmer’s Bar is located on the same block as the fire, and there is a mosque within the same vicinity though neither have reported damages.

    According to Hennepin County Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Robert Ball, “It’s not clear whether people were pushed out of the building from the explosion or whether they fell or jumped out of windows to escape.”

    At this time, authorities have not determined the cause of the explosion and fire. The building was last inspected in 2012, and according to a Minneapolis Fire Department release there were no lingering concerns from the inspection.

    Roughly 50 firefighters were involved with the exhaustive rescue efforts. “I know we’ve had a number of trips and falls but no reported injuries (to firefigthers), which is remarkable,” Freutel shared.

    Image Via NDN

  • Minneapolis Explosion Destroys Building, Injures 13

    At 8:16 AM this morning, an explosion erupted at a Minneapolis building containing apartments and a grocery store. Shortly after the explosion, a three-alarm fire broke out, prompting firefighters to respond to the scene.

    Upon their arrival at 9:30 AM, firefighters witnessed a roaring blaze on the second and third floors of the building and victims standing on the sidewalk outside the building, many without proper hats or coats due to the haste in which they escaped:

    “Upon arrival crews made entry into the first floor of this structure. Conditions became untenable very quickly, with major fires coming out of the second and third floors. Crews had to back out and go into defensive position outside of the building, applying water,” stated Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel.

    Unfortunately for the victims and the firefighters, the fire was not the only obstacle to overcome. Temperatures in Minneapolis were at -1 degree Fahrenheit today, making the job of the firefighters extremely difficult:

    “We deal with this all year, every year. But I can tell you that it does make the job a lot more difficult for the firefighters working in this because, of course, the best way to put out a fire usually is water and water in sub zero temperatures makes ice and all of the sudden it’s very dangerous for personnel working on a fire ground,” stated EMS worker Robert Ball.

    The building housed 10 apartment units on the second and third floors, 9 of which were occupied at the time of the fire. The ground floor of the building was also home to a grocery store. The fire may have also damaged a mosque located behind the building, as well.

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    As it currently stands, 13 victims have been taken to local hospitals, 6 of those with critical injuries: “Most of the injuries that we’ve been seeing so far are a combination of burns from the fire and some trauma from people that came out from the windows, at this time we’re not certain whether they had fallen, jumped or were pushed out due to the fire and explosion,” Ball reported.

    Unfortunately, not all of the people living in the apartments have been accounted for yet. While firefighters continue to do their best to control the fire and survey the scene, the conditions are still too treacherous to search for those unaccounted.

    Image via Twitter

  • Kenyan Bus Explosion: Attacks Continue Saturday

    A mini bus and nearby cars in Nairobi, Kenya were left in pieces today after an unconfirmed explosive device exploded inside of the traveling mini bus. Reuters tells us that four people were killed while 36 were left wounded in the fourth Kenyan attack this week.

    The sudden blast turned car parts into shrapnel to quickly transform a normal day into a tragedy. Officials are still working to determine if the explosive was thrown onto or already on the bus.

    This week should be one of celebration for Kenya; they are celebrating its 50th year of independence from Britain. The attackers or force behind the string of attacks is still unknown, so the statement behind them is undetermined.

    A summary of this week’s attacks:

    -On Tuesday, gunmen riddle a police car with bullets leaving eight people dead near the Somalian border.

    -A grenade was hurled at British tourists Thursday– the day of the Kenyan Independence Day. The grenade thankfully malfunctioned, but caused alarm to tourists who were once considered exempt from terrorist activity in Kenya.

    -Masked men threw two grenades into a northeastern Kenyan marketplace Friday killing one person and injuring more.

    The attackers are officially unknown, but the attacks mirror a September 21st attack by a Somali militant group by the name of al-Shabab. The Westgate attack killed at least 67 people in a four-day period, and al-Shabab told Kenya that such attacks will continue until they discontinue any involvement with Somalian affairs. Kenya currently is an asylum for 475,000 Somali refugees.

    Time will tell if these attacks continue. The United Nations, Kenya and Somalia have recently promised to assist any Somalians if they decide to return to their homeland. If this does not reduce the attacks on Kenya, further research is certainly in order to discover the source and reasoning behind these horrific attacks.

    [image: Youtube]

  • Chicago Plant Explosion – Two People Injured

    At least two people were injured when a petrochemical plant exploded in Alsip, Illinois on Friday. The blast and subsequent fire could be heard and seen for miles.

    The explosion occurred at the Blue Island Phenol plant in Blue Island, about 20 miles south of Chicago, according to WGN television.

    A chemical leak was what led to the explosion and fire Friday afternoon. Reports say the chemical leak started around 11:30 a.m.

    WGN Television reports, “the explosion forced Kedzie to shut down in both directions from 127th to 135th, and 131st is closed from Western to Kedzie.”

    The two injured were rushed to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, and all other employees at the plant have been accounted for, the television station said.

    The blaze, which was a huge one, was battled immediately by firefighters and it is believed any residual chemicals burned in the fire.

    The extent of the injuries are not immediately known, but the two people, believed to be workers at the plant, suffered burns. said Mayor Domingo Vargas, from nearby Blue Island, Ill.

    Three chemicals — propane, propylene and benzene — ignited around 11:25 a.m., according to Alsip Fire Chief Tom Styczynski.

    The plant also manufactures acetone and phenol, ingredients used to manufacture some herbicides, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

    Luckily, the plant had a “deluge system — a type of high-volume fire sprinkler that dumps a large volume of water in an area all at once — which did much to put out the initial fire.” Styczynski said.

    In a previous mishap with this chemical company, it was forced to sign an agreement with the Illinois Attorney General’s office, making them responsible to hire a licensed engineering firm to ensure that the accident did not leak chemicals into groundwater, contaminating it due to the runoff of water used to extinguish the fire.

    The company said the fire erupted after a storm caused a power outage at the plant. Without power, cooling and circulation systems in the phenol unit failed, causing the temperature and pressure inside the phenol unit’s oxidizers to rise, starting a chemical fire.

    Image via NDN Video

  • Explosion In North Hollywood Wakes Neighborhood

    A pickup truck parked behind a house in North Hollywood was the recent scene for an explosion. The sound from the explosion was heard sometime between 12:25 a.m. and 12:30 a.m. at the location of 11318 Miranda Street, according to Los Angeles police Sgt. Mike Kammert. The sound woke residents in the neighborhood while the force blew out nearby windows.

    Police and firefighters determined that the explosion came from a propane tank located inside the cab of the truck, which was strong enough to blow off the roof of the vehicle. After noticing the propane, the LAPD bomb squad was called to report to the scene.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzQQlg-JWrI

    Residents within a block of the truck explosion were asked to either voluntarily evacuate or to seek shelter within the area. Thankfully, there have been no fatalities or injuries as a result of the blast. At this time, the owner of the vehicle has not publicly given any information, and it is unclear whether the owner has even been contacted. The exact cause has not been revealed though officials have indicated that the propane was the cause.

    [Images And Video Via YouTube]

  • UC Berkeley Explosion Leaves 4 with Minor Burns

    The LA Times reported yesterday that an explosion devastated UC Berkeley’s campus, sending four to the hospital with burns. The main campus was evacuated as a precaution.

    “It was dark. It was pretty scary. We just wanted to get out of there,” one student, sophomore Jesse Kay, said. Another student, 19-year-old Jay Reddy, was in electrical engineering class when the power went out. “We had to figure out how to get out of the building,” he said.

    When the outage happened around 6:30 pm on Monday evening, a campus staff member and several students reported hearing a boom and seeing flames as several buildings lost power. 20 people needed to be rescued from elevators in the affected building.

    Twitter was abuzz with reactions and images of the incident:

    Officials have stated that they believe the power outage is related to a recently discovered vandalism: an off-campus electrical station saw its copper wiring ripped out.

    Dan Mogulof, the spokesman for UC Berkeley, said to reporters “We have a strong suspicion that what happened is related to vandalism discovered last week. The damage they caused may have been far more extensive than we originally thought.”

    The blast area was apparently two stories high, two road lanes wide, and sent at least one manhole cover flying. The explosion happened as engineers were attempting to restore power.

    “Something happened here that surprised the expert… Somebody attacked our system. Somebody stole key parts of our system,” Mogulof continued. “[Classes] aren’t going to happen and people aren’t going to come back here until we’re sure we have a safe situation.”

    [Image via Twitter]

  • White House Firecracker Exploded In North Lawn

    Sometimes a prank can go too far. A firecracker exploded in the north lawn of the White House around the same time as when the tragic Navy Yard shooting happened on Monday, September 16, 2013, which has led authorities to question the potential connection between the two events.

    While the exact reason behind the firing is not known, the man responsible for setting off the firecracker, Alexander Sahagian, has been apprehended by police. The firecracker incident occurred at 6:30 in the morning only a few miles from the shooting where the fifty-two-year-old Sahagian lighted the firecracker and then threw the soon-to-erupt firecracker over the fence into the north lawn.

    Many streets were closed down as a precautionary measure in response to the the firing including one block on Pennsylvania Avenue as well as two blocks on 17th Street NW. The popular Lafayette Park, nestled across from the White House was also closed.

    Initial concerns sparked several rumors about guns firing near the White House as a result of the firecracker explosion, however a representative for the Secret Service put these concerns to rest. Ed Donovan of the Secret Service said, “There have not been shots outside the White House.”

    It has not been released what type of charges Alexander Sahagian will face as a result of firing the firecracker. However, what is known focuses on the abilities of the authorities involved. The speedy response of the Secret Service members as well as the orders these law officials shouted to tourists and people passing by the location shows how efficient the law enforcement representatives were in being able to handle the situation and contain any potential escalation of danger.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBoy5gVmR7c

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons And Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense]

  • Riverside Explosion Destroys House in California

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    On Friday at 4:18AM, the fire station in the Southern California city of Riverside got a call about an explosion that leveled a house and shook the earth on Cochise Drive. The irruption was so powerful that it ended up igniting another home and damaging another. Fortunately, no one was injured from the blast, despite neighbors getting a rude wakeup call.

    Firefighters arrived on the scene and found the house “completely blown up,” Captain Bruce Vanderhorst told ABC7 News. The home was reduced to a pile of burnt black scraps surrounded by mangled metal; a fountain of flames spitting in the center.

    Eight fire trucks were called in on the scene to extinguish the flames emitting from the burst gas meter.

    The house was undergoing renovation and was left vacant. One firefighter on the scene commented that, “the last three days the house has been under renovation. The last three days they have been working on it [and] restoring it. For that, we don’t know [what caused it] – our arsenal team is on [the] scene and they’ll be doing an investigation.”

    According to ABC News, the Southern California Gas Company officials said that a preliminary investigation determined the gas main pipeline and service line up in the gas meter were in safe operational condition with no detection of leakage.

    Vanderhorst believes that the cause of the explosion was due to gas building up inside the house.

    “We heard an explosion, and we got out of our bed, and when I came into the front room, both windows on that side of the house, the far side of the house, nothing but fire and flames,” Wayne Keller told KABC-TV, standing outside of his home that took damage from the exploding house nearby; their garage door was blown inward, along with a collapsed chimney.

    “It was mayhem; you could hear the gas line just going like crazy.” He added.

    Other neighbors raised their concerns about the booming blast.

    “I thought it was an earthquake. My son said it sounded like a car hitting our house,” Mary Holley told the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

    “There [were] massive embers all over the place. I got my hose out and tried to just keep my roof wet,” said Craig Erickson to KABC-TV, another neighbor who felt the shock of the explosion.

    Foul play has been ruled out by officials who are still determining the cause of the explosion.

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  • Submarine Explosion In Mumbai Leaves 18 Sailors Missing

    Rescue divers are continuing efforts to find survivors of an explosion aboard an Indian submarine in Mumbai, despite the increasing odds that none of the eighteen crew members will be found alive.

    Near midnight Tuesday night the ship – the INS Sindhurakshak – suffered an explosion that. According to officials, the explosion appears to have damaged the forward torpedo tubes, which allowed water to come flooding into the ship. Efforts to fight the subsequent fire resulted in even more water coming into the ship, causing it to sink.

    Three crew members were on the top of the ship when the explosion happened, and were able to escape into the water. They were rescued and taken to a nearby naval hospital and treated for minor injuries. The remainder of the crew – fifteen sailors and three officers – were trapped on board the ship.

    Rescue efforts have been significantly hampered by the ship’s proximity to shore. The sinking stirred up a great deal of debris from the bottom of the harbor, reducing visibility in the water around the ship nearly to zero. Divers surveyed the exterior of the ship for before prying their way into the conning tower. There has been no contact with the crew since the sinking.

    The Sindhurakshak – pictured above in better days – is a 16-year-old Kilo-class diesel submarine originally built in Russia. It recently returned from Russia, where it underwent a significant refit. Russia has become a major supplier of military equipment – including submarines – for India. The Indian navy is already short on submarines – only about half of the country’s tiny submarine fleet is currently active – and the sinking of the Sindhurakshak leaves them even more shorthanded. India is currently in the process of building up its navy due to concerns over China’s increasing naval power in the region.

    Admiral D.K. Joshi, the Indian navy’s chief of staff, told reporters today that the explosion had occurred in the forward area of the ship. That section is home to the ship’s ordnance and batteries. While Admiral Joshi declined to speculate on the cause of the explosion, he did point out that the ship’s batteries had been finished charging for several days and that a hydrogen leak from the batteries was highly unlikely.

    Once the survey of the outside of the ship is finished, rescuers will begin pumping out water in order to reduce the ship’s weight, making it easier to bring the ship to the surface.

    While the situation is grim for the sailors still aboard the Sindhurakshak, Joshi insisted that there was still a chance that at least some of the men are still alive. “There have been instances where people have survived in the worst of conditions. We have not lost hope.”

  • Philadelphia Explosion Destroys 3 Homes, Injures 8

    An explosion in Philadelphia today destroyed three homes and sent at least eight people to the hospital, at least one in critical condition.

    The explosion happened in a row home in south Philadelphia at around 11 AM. Authorities say that the home was being renovated and the construction was taking place with a permit. A statement from the city says that although the specific circumstances are still being investigated, the cause of the explosion appears to have been natural gas. Witnesses claimed to notice a strong odor of gas immediately following the explosion.

    The blast destroyed the home that was under construction and caused the two adjacent row homes to partially collapse. Eight people were sent to various Philadelphia area hospitals for treatment following the blast. One of the victims, the contractor who was working at the site of the blast, is reported to be in critical condition with severe burns. Among the other seven victims are a family of three, including a two-month-old baby who suffered burns.

    According to a statement from the city, the situation was under control by 1 p.m., but several homes in the immediate vicinity remain evacuated. Authorities also said that everyone from the damaged homes appears to be accounted for, but that they would continue to sweep the wreckage with listening devices to make sure.

  • Corpus Christi Explosion Leaves Three Injured

    A gas leak may be the cause of an explosion in Corpus Christi, Texas that left two people critically injured and a third with minor injuries. Firefighters responded to the explosion, on the 4800 block of Holmes Drive, Friday morning around 5:30 am.

    Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters witnessed flames coming from the center of the home and saw that the roof had been blown away.

    To fight the flames, firefighters had to shut off two transformers that ultimately left approximately twenty homes without electricity. While the investigation to the cause of the explosion is underway, power to the homes is going to be left off as a precautionary measure and may not be restored until late Saturday or Sunday.

    The source of the explosion started inside the house, not outside. We believe there was a natural gas build up inside the home, but investigators will be here next week to make a final decision.
    -Fire Captain, James Brown

    Three people were rescued from the home where the explosion originated. Two of them were listed as critically injured and were transported to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital where they were later flown to San Antonio Military Medical Center’s burn unit to undergo treatment.

    Witnesses say that the explosion could be felt miles away and caused damage to homes within a three block radius. Three homes were significantly damaged, with the others sustaining mild to moderate damages. The home where the explosion originated was destroyed.

    Neighbor Gloria De Los Santos recalled feeling the blast early this morning. “My bed just shook and we just felt that blast, and we were just all shaken up. And we didn’t notice that all our windows were busted out, and we went outside to see what happened and the house was all gone,” said De Los Santos.

    Mike Obenhaus described the scene he witnessed while eating at a restaurant nearby. “The house had exploded. All the walls were down. The roof was already on the ground. We saved a little boy, a little girl, a mom and dad. Then the adjacent house started catching fire.”